ZYKOS is the latest "stand-in" covering a track from Okkervil River's upcoming album, The Stand-Ins. The track? "On Tour With Zykos."

ANDREW BIRD talks to the Chicago Sun-Times about blogging while recording his next album.

BLITZEN TRAPPER did the four free songs thing for Daytrotter.

SUFJAN STEVENS has soundtracked "Eve," the directorial debut of Natalie Portman, starring Ben Gazzara and Lauren Bacall.

THE 80s: Were they really that bad?  All Songs Considered streams the good, the bad and Starship.

EURYTHMICS are not on that NPR playlist, but topped the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart 25 years ago with "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)."

WARREN ZEVON is remembered by Dave Letterman in a new interview with Rolling Stone.

THE DONKEYS are profiled by San Diego City Beat: "Their cosmic, country-tinged pop exudes starry-eyed wonderment. They're less Gories, more Gram Parsons and much more fitting for a coastal drive than a basement-party soundtrack..."  The article mentions the band's two Daytrotter sessions, which are worth a listen.

GLEN CAMPBELL stopped by the World Cafe for a chat and mini-set, primarily from his new covers album.

JOLIE HOLLAND shares an advance track (and two live versions of new songs) from her next album with WOXY.

BRITNEY SPEARS will open the MTV Music Video Awards on Sunday, but will not be performing.

JOSH HARTNETT: An adult video company is offering up 500K for anyone who turns in a surveillance tape that allegedly shows the 'Black Hawk Down' star and an unidentified female having sex in a London library.

ELTON JOHN & LILY ALLEN got into a catfight at the GQ Men of the Year Awards: "I could still snort you under the table." Let's go to the video.

DAVID DUCHOVNY cheated on his wife for years before finally entering a rehab clinic for sex addiction, according to the ever-reliable National Enquirer. His pals claim pr0n was the issue.

CAMERON DIAZ was... wait for it... caught canoodling on camera with British model boyfriend Paul Sculfor at the US Open.

KATE HUDSON, living with her ex Chris Robinson, calls her divorce "the best thing that ever happened to us."

ANNE HATHAWAY: Vanity Fair has a long, juicy piece on her dumping Raffaello Follieri as the feds moved in to arrest him on fraud and money-laundering charges, though you can get the highlights via the NYPost, including the revelation that he tooke her for about 150K in rent during the end of their relationship.

90210 2.0 became the highest-rated scripted debut in the CW network's two-year history. The critics were lukewarm, which is about the best the net probably expected, after not screening it for critics in advance.

MACKENZIE PHILLIPS is in rehab... for the tenth time.

NORTH KOREA has begun to reassemble its main nuclear facility, citing a delayed removal from a US list of terror sponsors.

RUSSIA: Stalin acted "rationally" in executing and imprisoning millions of people in the Gulags, a new Russian school book claims.

PAKISTAN: Shots were fired at Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani's motorcade on Wednesday but he was not hurt, his spokesman said.

IRAQ: Gen. Petraeus tells the Financial Times declining violence raised the possibility that US combat troops could leave Baghdad by next summer, "conditions permitting."

CATS size each other up before erupting in conflict.

YOGHUND: Organic frozen yogurt for dogs.  And it costs only three times as much as organic frozen yogurt for people.

BELLA the CAT survived a 2 1/2-hour trip on a spare tire under her owner's truck.

FIREFLY populations burning out from Thailand to Tennessee.

STINGING CATERPILLARS invade Maryland.  Pratt family, take cover!